Sounds like we're going to get a minimum of three significant changes tomorrow, those being Nyoni, Gomez, and Koumas coming in. VVD won't even be on the bench if I had to guess, nor will Isak. I also fully expect to see Frimpong at RB, Gravenberch alongside Nyoni, and Rio on one wing. Not quite sure where Koumas will play.

Edit: four with Mamardashvili.

Just a few thoughts now that I've had time to watch more bits and pieces of the game:

1) I thought Wirtz was the best player on the field besides Jacquet. He seemed like the only person doing anything positive in the final third. I know we want goals and assists from him, and he does need to produce those, but that's difficult when everyone around you was pretty much dog crap.

2) The team looked tired. They need to begin to rotate more and also form a better dog mentality. Fight through the leggy-ness and produce. We need to really start to develop better chemistry and a better fighters mentality.

3) We do not have two guys that can successfully run a double pivot. I'll give Mac Allister credit and say that he's done well enough this year, but even he I don't think really fits the double pivot, and we all know Szobozslai and Gravenberch don't really, albeit I think Gravenberch can do that job better when he's next to a more responsible player.

A double pivot in my opinion requires two midfielders that can gather/collect the ball and get it back out from their feet quickly and accurately, whether that is a long through ball or a short pass to a winger or attacking midfielder etc. I think your double pivots need to be decisive and quick thinking because by playing next to each other, you inherently have less guys up field. You cannot sit on it, piddle-fart around, carry the ball up field and then pass. Because when you do that the other team gets six and seven guys back in positions and the windows are closed. None of the guys we have there do any of this. Szobozslai is perhaps the worst at it. Until we get more midfielders in that can do that job, I think the offense is going to be wildly inconsistent.

4) Jacquet; what a player.

Nice finish by Macca. Rio with a good assist, too.

If Koumas isn't careful he is going to end up being my favorite player on the squad.

The kid reminds me of Kuyt.

Sooooo glad we didn't sell Cody

So I love this squad?

Szobo has been so loose with the ball in possession.

That was an unreal save!

Mamardashvili is a wild ride man. He does some head scratching stuff off the ball, but holy S does he make some world class freaking saves. Like some of these saves are RIDICULOUS.

HOLY ****

WORLD CLASS STRIKE

That was a fking hit by Szobo.

Fellas who didn't get to watch this.....please go watch the highlights because that was SPECIAL

Szobo Special

Szoboszlai, take a bow

On repeat

Take a bow, Dom 🫰✨ pic.twitter.com/IILXCZ5AR5

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 15, 2026

fotmob needs to find a better way to quantify some of these metrics. No way Koumas deserved such a low score. He pressed like an absolute maniac in that game. He didn't always win the ball, but he definitely added the chaos that we need at the top of the pitch.

Purely a Gemini question, but this does make sense to me.

Off-Ball Statistics (Indirectly Captured)

Because Standard Opta feeds do not use optical tracking (like camera systems that follow all 22 players' movements constantly), FotMob does not directly track distance run, pressing speed, or off-ball decoy runs. Instead, off-ball impact is captured through secondary markers:

• Off-Ball Events: Aerial duels contested, committing or drawing fouls, and offside calls directly record actions without the ball.
• Positional & Team Context: Players implicitly receive bonuses from team outcomes, such as defenders and goalkeepers gaining points for a clean sheet.
• Derived Defensive Work: Pressing intensity is reflected when a player's pressure leads directly to an event like a recovery, interception, or forced opposition turnover.

I think the reason Koumas probably doesn't get as highly rated for a game like that is because his pressing didn't directly lead to many turnovers, interceptions etc. which again does make sense to me. From an analytical perspective, pressing without an end result or something to show for it is just running faster. With that being said, Koumas is a dawg and absolutely needs to play more, alongside Nyoni. I'd be brining him on late in most games moving forward for Wirtz or Isak. His running ability and determination is a problem when legs get tired. McConnell too I thought was really great.

Drew Chelsea in the next round of the Carabao Cup.

If we win, cool. If not, oh well. At least our bench players will get some meaningful competitive playing time.

I actually prefer to play teams with a pulse in these types of comps so long as we play half of the regular starters and about half younger newbies or backups.

I am just seeing the Jacquet compilation from the Spurs match. My goodness, what a player he is already! Just scratching the surface of what he can be too.

Reminds me of Guehi. Not the biggest or fastest defender, but very good at using his body and impeccable timing. He is also great in possession and has the ability to hit accurate short, medium and long range passes, just like Guehi. The best part is that he is younger and cheaper.

I was very anti-Hughes at the end of his run, but he definitely found a gem in JJ.

I'll push back on him not being the fastest defender. He's got borderline elite speed, as he's in the 92nd percentile for top speed in the EPL. He's also got a really nice burst for a CB.

Where I absolutely agree is that he's not the biggest and not the greatest in the air. He's right at 6'2" - 6'3", but he loses his fair share of aerial duels. And you are also spot on in that he's also amazing in possession and passing for a CB. Almost all of his are 85th percentile or better.

Tx_Aggie15 said:

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On repeat

Take a bow, Dom 🫰✨ pic.twitter.com/IILXCZ5AR5

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 15, 2026

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Seen debate online whether this is a volley or a half volley. It's a half-volley, end of.

But we can all agree that it was a beauty and will probably end up being our goal of the season

Volley or half-volley? 🤔

The boss settles the debate on Szoboszlai’s strike 🤝 pic.twitter.com/RKdvWEgqWb

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 18, 2026

The boss thinks differently lol

YNWA.2013 said:

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Volley or half-volley? 🤔

The boss settles the debate on Szoboszlai’s strike 🤝 pic.twitter.com/RKdvWEgqWb

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 18, 2026

The boss thinks differently lol

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Quarter-volley?

Okay, Brentford!

Shine is coming off Chelsea.

It was inevitable

I mean that was belt to ass by Brentford. Over 2.5xg to .80xg.